North Dakota State Horticultural Society

Reviewed by: Holly Wawby

Many of us already know and love Sara Williams as she has spoken at ND State Horticultural Society and garden club events many times in the past but her most recent book brings a new appreciation for her wealth of knowledge and passion for our prairie landscapes. Sara recognizes the special challenges we face and provides us with this fully illustrated book in full colour photos to demonstrate that the challenge of choosing the right plant might just be the legion of choices. When I was first asked to review the book for this newsletter, my first reply was that I was 'too busy' and with our tight time frame I 'would not be able to read the whole book.' Sara politely persisted and asked if I would at least give it a quick perusal for review. I agreed. How stunned was I to discover this glorious plethora of plants in photo and text stuffed in between the covers of a practical guide to plants that will not only live in dry climates but flourish? As always, Sara's insights are down-to-earth and sensible. Even though I have been in the horticulture society for over 30 years and was a teacher at one time, I found new hints, tips, and ideas in her book that made me want to read every word, not just quickly page through as promised. I do not own the first edition of this book so I cannot speak to how it differs from the original, however this edition is inspiring. The book contains some of my favourite old stand-by's for dry places as well as some new and exciting plants that now I can't wait to try. I fully recommend the revised and updated 'Creating the Prairie Xeriscape' by Sara Williams. It is a necessary addition to any northern prairie gardeners' library.

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About Coteau Books

Founded in 1975 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and currently operating out of offices in Regina, Coteau Books' mission is to publish and present to the world markets new voices and works of literary excellence from the Canadian literary community, with an emphasis on Saskatchewan and prairie writers.

Acknowledgements

Coteau Books acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.